The tool consolidates information about places to eat, stay and play in Tippecanoe County, and it includes a curated events calendar that should prove useful to visitors and local residents alike, said public relations and social media specialist Sarah Erickson.

Listings for local events can be submitted online at HomeOfPurdue.com, she said, noting that events she publishes online are automatically sent to the mobile app and community events feed on Purdue University’s website.

Though the app won’t completely supplant paper brochures and the Lafayette-West Lafayette Visitors Center website, Erickson said the app connects with users where they are.

“This is just an additional avenue that we think will be beneficial to travelers and locals so they can find information easily,” she said.

Visitors center President Jo Wade said she faced no resistance in pursuing the mobile app project, once she explained its merits.

Wade said her team selected Indianapolis-based mobile development firm VisitApps for the project after local leaders were impressed by the company’s track record and “match box” business model.

“They have done a bunch of these ‘Visit’ apps around the state and outside the state as well,” she said, noting that Visit Lafayette-West Lafayette costs $500 per month with no additional fees.

Wade said that price provides a valuable service.

“Visitors are going more and more to using everything on their phone,” she said. “It’s just growing incredibly rapidly how quickly visitors want access to information in their hand, on their smart phone.”